Second arrest in Pearland child sexual assault case

Tad Jeremy Costin, of Pearland, is jailed on no bond on a charge of sexual assault of a child under the age of 14. Authorities are looking for young girls who may have been among his many alleged victims.

The girlfriend of a Pearland man charged with sexual assaulting children has been charged in the case.

Julia Lack, 26, also of Pearland, was arrested about noon Thursday and charged with one count of possession of child pornography.

The case involves potentially thousands of images of a man engaged in sexual acts with children, officials have said.

Lack's parents last month found the images on a computer memory card she left behind when moving out of their Liberty County home a couple of years ago, officials have said. The parents recognized the home in the photos as one where Tad Jeremy Costin, Lack's boyfriend, had previously lived, in southeast Harris County.

Girls between 4 and 7

Based upon images found on the card, authorities said they believe Costin sexually assaulted 15 young girls between the ages of 4 and 7.

The 41-year-old man has been charged with four counts of aggravated sexual assault of a child under age 14.

Lack, listed as an "inactive model" on Playboy's Miss Social website, remained in the Pearland jail on $30,000 bail, according to online law enforcement records.

She and Costin briefly lived in Liberty County before moving to Pearland, said Kathryn Kahle, the chief prosecutor in the child exploitation division of the Harris County District Attorney's Office.

Seeking identities

While there is no indication that Costin was allegedly selling the images found on the memory card, investigators are looking into that possibility, Kahle said.

Investigators with the Harris County District Attorney's Office and other agencies are appealing to the public to learn the identities of girls.

Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 713-222-TIPS (8477).